besides

American  

[bih-sahydz] / bɪˈsaɪdz /

adverb

1. moreover; furthermore; also.

   Besides, I promised her we would come.

   Synonyms:

   further

2. in addition.

   There are three elm trees and two maples besides.

3. otherwise; else.

   They had a roof over their heads but not much besides.

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preposition

1. over and above; in addition to.

   Besides a mother he has a sister to support.

2. other than; except.

   There's no one here besides Bill and me.

besides British  

/ bɪˈsaɪdz /

preposition

1. apart from; even considering

   besides costing too much, the scheme is impractical

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1. anyway; moreover

adverb

1. as well

Commonly Confused

See beside.

Related Words

Besides, moreover both indicate something additional to what has already been stated. Besides often suggests that the addition is in the nature of an afterthought: The bill cannot be paid as yet; besides, the work is not completed. Moreover is more formal and implies that the addition is something particular, emphatic, or important: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.

Etymology

Origin of besides

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; beside, -s ¹

Example Sentences

I want you to know that there are people who are your elders who, besides loving you like we do, we depend on you, Samara.

From Los Angeles Times

So in recent years, many organizations have become more cautious about awarding long-term megadeals with massive average annual values to anyone besides the biggest superstars.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it wasn’t worth that many points, and besides, they don’t call you in the office for a B-minus, do they?

From Literature

“Things are so expensive, and so many things fall apart. And besides, we like the stories. That’s what we get excited about: the story, talking to people, imagining the life it had before.”

From Los Angeles Times

And besides, as David Hill of Rolling Stone notes, American sports—which naturally lend themselves to micro-betting with their long pauses and occasionally catatonic pace—were founded to enable wagering.

From The Wall Street Journal